The priestly garments

Exodus 28

3  And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.
4  And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office. (Exodus 28:3-4)

• ephod (6-14)
• breastplate (15-30)
• robe (31-35)
• coat (39, 40)
• mitre (37, 39)
• girdle (39, 40)
• bonnets (40)
• breeches (42)

Meditation Points:

God gave wisdom to the tailors and seamstresses so that the garments would be what He wanted (Exodus 28:3).

A purpose of such elaborate garments was that the priest appear glorious and beautiful (Exodus 28:2). Given that these earthly priests were to represent Christ the heavenly High Priest, how much more glorious and beautiful ought Christ be to His people!

One must be clothed properly to be acceptable to God. This priestly clothing should remind us that we must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ in order to stand before God.

Bells, bells, bells (Exodus 28:34-35). As long as the bells were heard, others knew the priest was alive.  What sound should we hear in order to know that our High Priest is alive?

The nakedness of the priest must be covered lest he die (Exodus 28:43). Is your nakedness covered?

Hebrews 4:13   Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Revelation 3:17-18  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

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Continuing details about the Tabernacle, its construction, furniture and use.

Exodus 26

I. Three coverings for the roof (1-14)
a. a linen inner cover that would be visible from within the structure
b. a middle goats’ hair covering
c. a 2-sided outer layer dyed red

II. Prefabricated wood panels overlaid with gold formed the sides (15-39)

III. A curtain (kjv: vail) divided the interior into two rooms; the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat were behind the curtain in “the most holy place.” (31-37)

Exodus 27

I. Outside there was a brazen altar (1-8)

II. The courtyard was kept private by a wall of curtains on all four sides (9-19)

III. The lampstand inside was to be lit at all times (20-21)

Meditation Points:

From the outside and at a distance you would see a large red structure surrounded by a white curtain fence. (Imagine the flag of Japan with a rectangle rather than a circle.)
From the inside you would see the beautiful linen illuminated by a seven-lamp candelabra.

• God was teaching His people about Himself and how to approach Him.
• to commune with God one must go by way of the altar of sacrifice
• there is only 1 door to God’s presence
• once inside, away from the world, God still has rules
• where God dwells is a holy place
• since these things were a picture of heavenly realities, the construction details must be followed or the meaning would be lost

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Exodus 24

Preliminaries to the public giving of the law

• Moses alone is to be in God’s presence (1-2)
• What he heard from God, he wrote down and read to the people (4, 7)
• Blood sacrifices accompany this solemn occasion (5-6,8)
• Seeing God (9-11)
• Moses separates himself from Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel to be alone with God (12-14)
• The glory of the Lord and the cloud (15-18)

Exodus 25

This chapter begins the detailed instructions for building and operating a portable worship center

Heb 8:5  Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

• Construction to be financed by the freewill offerings of the people (1-9)
• The ark of the covenant and its mercy seat cover (10-22)
• The table of showbread (23-30)
• The golden lampstand (31-40)

Meditation Points:

1. Call it what God called it: a sanctuary (8), a tabernacle (9), a dwelling place (8), a place of communion (22)
2. Don’t forget the pattern! Moses and the people are not at liberty to devise their own “concept structure”. God is very specific about the size and shape and covering of the structure as well as the furniture in it.
3. The furniture inside is to be covered with gold.
4. A box, a table and a lampstand are the furniture inside (along with an incense altar to be described later). No chairs, no pulpit, no piano.
5. While God has forbidden the making of idols, he requires that two golden cherubim be fashioned for the top of the ark.
6. No windows?  That’s a good reason to have a lampstand.

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Exodus 23

This chapter holds several short edicts on various topics.

• perjury (1)
• peer pressure (2)
• justice for the poor (3,6)
• your enemy’s animals ( 4-5)
• bribery and justice (7-9)
• a sabbath year (10-11)
• a sabbath day (12)
• false gods (13)
• required holidays (14-19)
• God’s promise to defend His people (20-33)

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